Farmers in upstate New York will soon have a new place to take their produce for processing and packaging. Empire State unanimously approved the allocation of three grants to the Growing Upstate Food Hub in Canastota village, near Syracuse.

The facility will receive over $2.5-million in funding through a Regional Economic Development Council (REDC) grant to restore a vacant 45-thousand square foot building to house the hub. The project will also receive funding for energy efficiency and a capital grant for equipment.

“Bringing students and now restaurants, food lovers and people. You know wine tasting events, other food promotional events right to the heart of Niagara Falls in what otherwise had been a derelict facility in which no one could imagine a future, so in that regard it’s a really terrific project,” Adams says.

The Niagara Falls project is expected to be completed within the next month and create 30 new jobs.

A range of other projects for the state were also approved for funding on Friday.